Torik's Tail
by The King of Emerald
Summary: A retelling of Fairy Tail, with a new character. Starts at the beginning of Lullaby arc.


**I know, I know. I have so many stories that I should be working on. But I literally fell in love with Fairy Tail, and this idea won't leave me alone, no matter how hard I try. So, without further ado:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I do own, however, own any original characters that appear in this story.**

XxXxX

My name is Torik. Just Torik. I don't have a surname or a family name, cause I don't have a family. I've taken so many odd jobs I've lost count, but that's not where my talents lie. My talents belong in the field of magic. I guess you could say I'm a wizard. And a wizard without a guild is a very unhappy person indeed.

So, I've decided to look for a guild to call my own. Unfortunately, every one that I have found has been deemed weak, plain, and just straight-up boring. I even attempted to join a few dark guilds, but after realizing my mistakes, I quickly gave that up. Sure, some people weren't very happy with my decision. But I'm strong enough to take out anyone that has a problem with my choices. Among these guilds are the Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth, and I even considered attempting to join Phantom Lord. But after seeing how big they are, I decided that they were just a little _too _big.

So what did I decide upon? Probably the guild with the weirdest name of them all.

Fairy Tail.

Why did I choose to join Fairy Tail? Well, that's a long story. Again, though, I don't have anything but time now, so I might as well explain how everything began.

XxXxX

I was out of money… again. My last job had paid me enough jewels to take me to the next town, but I was completely out of supplies now. I couldn't even afford to buy crumbs at this point. So, I had moved on, leaving the city behind and traveling on to Magnolia. Of course, me being the squanderer that I am, I was halfway there when I ran out of my stored food (I'm a growing young man, after all!), and now was completely starved.

"Ugh", I said, listening to my stomach growl. "I'm starving", I complained to myself. "I could eat anything at this point. Hell, I'd be fine with just a glass of water." My stomach picked that moment to growl even louder now, and I had to admit, it kind of pissed me off. I smacked my own belly, regretting that decision shortly afterward. Man, my hunger is really affecting how I think… "If I don't get anything to munch on soon, I'm done for…"

Apparently, fate decided to tempt me then, because at that very moment, a particular aroma filled my nostrils. This particular scent was very familiar, and it only made my mouth water. The culprit?

Fish.

I. Love. Fish.

And it was fresh.

Unable to control myself, my instincts taking over, I quickly searched for the source, and soon found a river nearby, teeming with fish. I stripped myself of my skin-tight muscle shirt, and threw off my sandals. I took off my necklace, the last gift my father had given me, and gently placed it on top of my clothes before I dove in, teeth glinting in the fractured light as I looked around, scaring the fish and beginning to give chase. I didn't care that I was sucking in water as I attempted to catch my meal; my magic, as my name probably implies, is Transformation magic, and I just grew a pair of gills to allow me to breathe while I hunted. Hell, I love water. It's the source of all life as we know it, after all, and you can never have too much of it around.

Finally, a rather large fish made a mistake and got caught on the rocks on the shore. I seized the day and quickly made a beeline for it, quickly catching it in my teeth. After all, sometimes the best things in life are eaten raw, as my father said. I dragged my prize onto shore, and began the process of devouring it, picking the bones clean of any meat I could find. It took about five minutes for only the skeleton to remain, not even the scales remaining on it's head. Once I was done, I let out a loud belch, and finally regained control of my actions.

"Ugh… I really lost it that time", I said, noting the fish skeleton at my feet. "Oh well… waste not, want not", I said, starting to take the bones and breaking them. It was a habit of mine; I used the bones of fish as tools for various things, whether it be sewing or anything else, depending on how big the bones are. Sometimes, I use them as weapons, but that's in extreme circumstances. After determining that I had enough bones, I took the rest of the skeleton to dispose of in the next town. After all, there was nothing left besides the spine, head, and tail. Nothing from the woods would get a decent meal from the remains. Besides, Magnolia wasn't too far away; I'd get rid of the rest of the skeleton before applying for my new guild.

"Well, looks like I have some walking to do", I said, sighing. "At least I'm not taking a train… that would be terrible…" I almost got sick just at the thought of it. Now…

… which way was Fairy Tail again?

"You gotta be kidding me!" I yelled out, realizing I was completely and totally lost. I groaned, looked up and sighed. "Well… looks like I have no idea where to go… maybe I can find a town from above?"

That's what I decided in the end. I soon closed my eyes and focused on my magic. I could feel the effects washing over me, and soon, my Transformation was complete. I opened my eyes, not surprised by the sudden change in my height anymore, since I used this particular transformation spell a lot. I looked to my arms, which now were white, feathered wings, and gave them a good flap, taking to the skies.

Now, my magic specialty is Transformation and Take Over magic. Basically, I prefer traveling as an animal - in this case, a white hawk - so I use transformation magic as a main use every day. My Take Over magic, on the other hand… well, let's just say I've only ever had to use it once. That wasn't pretty. So… where was I?

Oh yeah. Traveling. Well, I had to admit, I was surprised that I was so close to a mansion. Maybe this would be my lucky break? I could probably get a job as a butler or a cook or something… and maybe some directions to Magnolia.

So, with a screech, I banked a hard right and began flying straight towards my destination.

And boy, was I surprised when I arrived. Apparently at some point, something inside of the mansion gave way, because suddenly, it started crumbling before my very eyes. By the time I got there, it was literally in pieces. And oddly, I could hear someone laughing.

"I like your style! Going out with a bang!" it laughed. "You are definitely gonna fit in at Fairy Tail!"

At the mention of the guild I wanted to join, I looked down, spotting the source. There were three beings, two of them human and one of them… a cat, I guess. One had pink, spiky hair, a vest, and a scaled scarf around his neck. The other human was female, and from what I could tell, she was blonde and wore a pink top with a skirt. And the feline was blue. That's all I could tell. But I noticed on the three of them the mark of Fairy Tail on their bodies. Whoever they were, they were a part of the guild I wanted to be a part of, and so I needed to follow them. I soared above them, hopefully not gaining their attention, as they traveled from the ruined mansion to the town nearby. I was still in my transformation so I couldn't go inside, but by the time the three of them came out, the girl look really depressed. Someone must've called her fat or something.

I followed them further into the forest, and they were in the middle of talking when they finally stopped. It was nighttime when I decided to speak up finally. "Excuse me!" I called out. "You three are with the Fairy Tail guild, correct?"

The boy with pink hair quickly stood up, growling. "Who's there? I'll pulverize you if you try to take our food!"

"Oh come on, Natsu", said the cat. For some reason, I couldn't say I was surprised by this. "If it's a ghost, it won't need our food!"

That made me just blink. A ghost? There's no such thing as ghosts.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, cat!" the girl cried out, looking a bit angry.

"Up here!" I called out again. Everyone turned to follow my voice and, upon spotting me, I waved a bit. "Hello!"

"Waugh! A talking bird!" the cat cried out, making me sweatdrop.

"And yet you're a talking cat, and you don't see us making a big deal about it", I said, screeching a bit. "I'm not even a bird. I'm a wizard!" I took flight down to them, and landed just a few feet away from the fire before I Transformed back to normal, turning into my human form, kneeling at them like a ronin. "I'm Torik. Master of disguise. And I'm at your service!"

"Whoa, such a flashy entrance", the boy said, making me face-vault. I quickly recovered though, and glared at him.

"There was nothing flashy about it!" I countered. I then shook my head, remembering what I needed to talk to them about. "Anyway… you guys are Fairy Tail wizards, right?" When they hesitantly nodded, I grinned. "Good! Then you won't mind if I tag along with you, would ya?"

"Hold on! Why should we just let some random stranger tag along with us?" the girl said, pointing at me accusingly. "For all we know, you could be some murderous creep that wants to chop our heads off!"

I stared blankly at her, while Natsu and the cat shook their heads. "Come on, Lucy. No need to think of something as silly as that."

"Aye", agreed the cat.

"You two thought he was a ghost!" she pointed out.

I couldn't help but laugh, and scratched the back of my head. "No, she's got a point. You guys don't know me, but I've heard of you! At least, your guild, that is." I pounded my hand into my fist. "One of the most powerful guilds in all of Fiore… that's gotta be the perfect guild for me!"

"The most powerful?" Lucy asked, looking over to Natsu. I couldn't help but sweat-drop a bit.

"You're in one of the most powerful guilds of all of Fiore and you don't even realize it?"

Natsu grinned, holding up a fist. "Yeah! We're so strong, the Council thinks we could destroy a whole city if we wanted to!"

"That's not a good thing!" Lucy countered, sweating a bit.

I laughed at that, and nodded. "See? That's exactly why I wanna join you guys!" I pointed at Natsu. "Spirited wizards like him! It's that spirit that has me ready to fight! I couldn't find that spirit anywhere, no matter what!" That's when I frowned. "Every other guild acts all high and mighty, without looking out for each other. I wanna join a guild that is as kind as it is powerful… so Fairy Tail has to be the one for me."

"Well, why not join Blue Pegasus?" Lucy asked.

"Or maybe Quatro Cerberus?" Happy spoke up. "Or maybe Mermaid Heel?"

"Okay then… one, Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel are for women, and while I can use Advanced Transformation Magic, I assure you, I'm a guy", I said, pointing at myself. "I'm not effeminate enough for either of those. And as for Quatro Cerberus… I'd rather not wear a collar, thank you very much. No, it has to be Fairy Tail." I gripped my fists. "Man, if I get the chance, I'll show you guys exactly what I can do. And then you'll beg me to join!"

Natsu laughed a bit, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "Maybe you should come along! I like your style!"

I smirked, and Transformed into an almost identical copy of him, although my hair remained blue. "I like your style, too!" I said, sounding exactly like him.

"Oh great, another Natsu", Lucy muttered, holding a hand to her head. Although she couldn't help but smile a bit. "Well, it's not up to us if you can join, but I really hope you do. I'm sure we could use a guy like you, Torik. I think it's pretty cool that you can do Advanced Transformation magic."

I turned to her, smiling as I assumed my original form. "Thanks. You won't regret this!"

XxXxX

"'I don't know about this, guys. Are you sure we're going the right way?' she asks."

I couldn't help but sweatdrop a bit as I looked at Lucy, sitting inside of her grandfather clock, Horologium. As soon as we got to the swamp that Natsu and I were wading in, she revealed her status as a Celestial Wizard and summoned her spirit so she could hitch a ride and wouldn't get dirty. I have to admit, that's one lazy way to use a spirit.

"Happy says this is the way home, so this is the way we're going, is what I answer", Natsu grumbled.

"Have some faith!" Happy said, also avoiding the muck by riding on Salamander's head. "I'm a cat, I have a great sense of smell. My nose will lead us home!"

"Um, not to doubt you, but isn't it dogs that have a great sense of smell instead of cats?" I question, turning my nose into said creature's appendage. I sniffed the air, blanched, and quickly turned it back to normal. "Okay, that was dumb. Remind me to never have a dog's nose while I'm in a swamp again."

"'And what does smell have to do with direction?' she asks haughtily", said Horologium, speaking for Lucy since we couldn't hear her.

I have to admit, I expected a bit more action when traveling with Fairy Tail wizards. But, I guess even they have dull moments like this. I couldn't help but chuckle at the three of them arguing slightly. Suddenly, we heard a rustle in the bushes, and like I expected, Natsu jumped into them, getting ready to fight whoever was in there.

"'Do you always have to fight?' she inquires worriedly", Horologium informed us, while Lucy stared with an exasperated expression.

"You can take him, Natsu!" Upon that statement, the pink haired member of our group jumped out, followed by a black haired kid with the Fairy Tail emblem on his chest. "It's Gray!" Happy said, surprised.

"Why is he in his underwear?" I asked, looking at the newcomer with yet another sweatdrop on my face.

"I was looking for a bathroom", Gray said, glaring at me. "And who are you anyway?"

I smirked, and ran to Natsu's side. "I'm Torik, and I'm following Natsu, Happy, and Lucy so I can join Fairy Tail!"

"No way, why would we want a weirdo like you?"

"You're one to talk, stripper!" I roared, pointing at him accusingly.

"They're all childish!" Lucy said, staring at all of us. Apparently, her summon's time was up.

"She says to the cat", Happy stated, giggling lightly.

After cooling our jets (and Gray was able to find his clothes), we stopped to take a break by the side of a cliff. I sighed, sitting to the side. "Man, I was so close to showing off my skills", I grumbled while the three Fairy Tail wizards spoke to each other. "Talk about unfair…"

"So, you're on your way back from a job?" Lucy asked, ignoring me.

"Yeah, there's a shortcut through these woods that'll get you back to town in no time", Gray affirmed.

"See? I told you so!" Happy whined. He was busy fishing while the rest of us were sitting nearby.

"Oh really? Then why didn't you tell us that Gray was right in front of us?" I asked. I was liking this cat less and less as I spent more time with him.

"There's some things you don't wanna smell", he replied. That actually got a bit of a laugh out of me.

"What was that?" Gray growled, glaring at Happy.

"I agree", Natsu said, putting his hands behind his head. "So go on home, and we'll smell ya later."

"Fine, I will", Gray said, standing up and looking toward the cliff. "And unless you want trouble, you should, too."

"Huh? Why do you say that?" Lucy asked.

"Because Erza's due back any time now", Gray said, making Natsu flinch while Lucy and I stared.

"THE Erza?" I asked, gulping a bit. Who hasn't heard of Erza, the Queen of the Fairies? Her magic is so powerful, she could raze mountains with a single spell!

"Yep! She's the strongest woman in all of Fairy Tail!"

Just at that moment, my strong ears picked up a sound. Thinking quickly, I used my magic to turn into a hawk again, flying up and avoiding the sand bomb that blew up underneath us. It didn't take long for me to notice the only one missing from the group after that; a certain blue cat had vanished, and I was determined to show my stuff. I quickly followed the sounds, and soon found the campsite where Happy was taken. Apparently, the group was planning on eating the poor thing. Normally, I was against eating cats, so I had to do something before they could light the fire. It was my chance to do it right!

Quickly, I landed on the ground, using my Transformation magic to beef up my arms and turn into a gorilla. Before anyone could react, I quickly punched the one that looked like a chicken in the face, effectively knocking him out. Next, I turned back to normal, and morphed my legs to that of a horse so I could kick harder. I swept out the legs of the red haired twins that were nearby before I suddenly felt the ground beneath me shift into sand once again. Thinking quickly, I changed into a python, and quickly wrapped up the apparent leader - a small, frogish looking man, and glared at the remaining member. "Alright, you freaks. Ready to give up and hand over the cat?" I asked, hissing as I squeezed the frog man a little harder.

The last one, a young man with a crystal ball in his hands, glared, and seemed to cast a spell. Unfortunately…

"I see someone special, but the stars point to great trouble with water and women."

… it didn't quite work out for him. "Are you telling my fortune? What a lame spell", I said, before quickly shooting out my tongue at him, which became much larger, and quickly caught him in my mouth, biting down and effectively cutting off his air supply before spitting him out again. "Blech! You taste terrible!"

"Woah… did you just turn into four different animals seconds from each other?" Happy said, staring at me amazed. "Not even Mirajane can Transform that fast!"

I nodded, and let go of the frog man, who was at this point out cold. I turned back to normal, approaching the blue cat. "Come on, let's get you out of there", I said, before transforming my hand again. This one took a little time, but when it was over, my hand had completely turned into a blade, and with one swipe, I was able to cut him free.

"Happy!" I heard Natsu cry, as the rest of the group finally arrived. I looked up, turning my hand back to normal as the three wizards caught up to us. "You okay buddy?"

"Aye!" Happy said, pointing to me. "You shoulda seen it, Natsu! Torik turned into four animals in no time at all! He transforms faster than anyone I've ever seen!"

I chuckled, scratching the back of my head. "Are you kidding? I was a bit off; I can usually turn into different things a lot faster than that."

"Lulla…" came the croaky voice, and I looked to the frog man. I was surprised he could still move, after being constricted in my coils so quickly. "Lulla…by…"

"Lullaby?" Gray asked. At that moment, suddenly, a shadow slunk underneath every member of the camp I just knocked out, and just like that, they were gone, vanishing into the earth. I stared, I couldn't help it. I never heard of magic doing that before.

"What was that?" Natsu asked, staring as well.

"_Who_ was that?" Lucy clarified, also looking confused.

"Whoever it was, they're fast", Gray said (in his underwear again). "I can't even sense them.

I wasn't paying attention to that. I just was thinking about the word that frog man said. What did it mean? "Lullaby…" I whispered.

I had no idea what I just got myself into.


End file.
